Throughout history, people have developed the mathematics that they need in order to explain things in the world around them. Ancient cultures—including Greece, Babylon, China, and India—developed different representations of the Pythagorean theorem based on the way that they understood the world around them and the different structures they were attempting to explain.

View the presentation below about how the Pythagorean theorem was used in different cultures. Click the right-arrow button to advance to the next slide when you are ready.

Use your notes to answer the questions below.

1. How did each society in the presentation use the Pythagorean theorem?
2. What are some ways other cultures have used the Pythagorean theorem?